Pneumatic toy stove accessory

ABSTRACT

Air under pressuer is supplied to a simulated uncooked food item, such as pie, cake, muffins or the like, having a simulated crust or other portion made from a stretchable diaphragm adapted to be distended by air under pressure to simulate dough rising in an oven or other change which occurs in the appearance of food when it passes from an uncooked state to a cooked state.

United States Patent 1 Hill et a1.

1451 Nov. 12, 1974 1 1 PNEUMATIC TOY STOVE ACCESSORY [751 lnventors:Allen D. Hill, Manhattan Beach;

Sidney Bass, Los Angeles; Hubert A. Rich, Westminister, all of Calif.[73] Assignee: Mattel, 1nc., Hawthorne, Calif.

[22] Filed: Nov. 19, 1973 121] Appl. No.: 417,025

521 115.0 46/14, 46/44, 46/90 511 1nt.Cl A631 3/52 [58] Field ofSearch46/14, 44, 90, 247, 39; I 40/106.2l,l06.22

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1930 Stanford et a1.40/106.22

Pearson, .lr. Butler et al. 46/14 3,091,051 5/1963 Glass et a1. 46/143,205,610 9/1965 Palumbo et a1 46/14 3,232,001 2/1966 Stanzel.... 46/893,563,676 2/1971 Coovcrt cl a1. 46/90 Primary Examiner-Louis G. MancencAssistant E.\'aminer-J. Q. Lever Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Max E. Shirk57 ABSTRACT Air under pressuer is supplied to a simulated uncooked fooditem, such as pie, cake, muffins or the like, having a simulated crustor other portion made from a stretchable diaphragm adapted to bedistended by air under pressure to simulate dough rising in an oven orother change which occurs in the appearance of food when it passes froman uncooked state to a cooked state.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The backgroundof the invention will be set forth in two parts.

1. Field of the Invention The invention pertains generally to the fieldof pneumatic toy stove accessories and more particularly to a pneumatic,simulated food-cooking device.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art known to Applicant islisted by way of illustration, but not of limitation, in separatecommunications to the United States Patent Office.

The present invention exemplifies improvements over this prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is toprovide a new and useful pneumatic toy stove accessory.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simulated food-cookingdevice including pump means for supplying fluid under pressure to thedevice.

According to the present invention, a pneumatic toy stove accessory isprovided and includes a simulated food item having a fluidinlet meansand a stretchable diaphragm. The diaphragm simulates uncooked food whenin a relaxed condition and simulates cooked food when in a stretchedcondition. The accessory also includes means for connecting the fluidinlet means to a source of fluid under pressure.

The accessory is shown and described for purposes of illustration, butnot of limitation, as a simulated piebaking device in combination with apneumatic stove toy having an air outlet and means for supplying airunder pressure to the outlet.

The simulated pie-baking device includes a pan having an air inletprovided therein. A stretchable diaphragm covers the open-top portion ofthe pan and'is decorated to simulate the crust of a pie.

The pan includes means for connecting its air inlet to the outlet on thestove toy for supplying air under pressure to the pan to distend thediaphragm is simulation of dough rising in an oven. An umbrella-typevalve may be used, if desired, to control the flow of air into the panand a very small aperture in the diaphragm prevents excessive pressurefrom building up in the pan. A fruit-scented pad may be placed in thepan to heighten the pie-baking illusion.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of use, together withfurther objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to likeelements in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apneumatic toy stove FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is across-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the accessory shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view taken along line 66of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:

Referring again to the drawings, a pneumatic toy stove accessoryconstituting a presently preferred em bodiment of the invention,generally designated 10, includes a pneumatic toy stove 12 having afront wall 14, a side wall 16 and a top wall 18. Top wall 18 is providedwith suitable fluid outlet means which is shown herein for purposes ofillustration, but not of limitation, as comprising an air-outlet orifice20 (FIG. 2) having a substantially frusto-conical body portion 22provided with an air-outlet aperture 24 communicating with an air inlet26.

Accessory 10 also includes a conduit 28 having a first end 30 connectedto air inlet 26 and a second end 32 connected to the outlet 34 of an airpump or blower 36. Blower 36 includes an impeller 38 having an inputshaft 40 connected by a coupling 42 to the output shaft 44 on a smallelectric motor 46. The electric power for electric motor 46 may besupplied by a dry cell 48 resiliently held in place in a battery housing50 bypressure between battery contact 52 and a resilientelectricallyconductive member 54, which is mounted on a wall 65 ofbattery compartment 50 and which is operatively connected to motor 46 bya lead 58, and by pressure between the base 60 of dry cell 48 and aresilientlymounted, electrically-conductive. lug 62, which is mounted onstove wall '16 and which is operatively connected to motor 46 through aswitch 64 and an electrical lead 66. Switch 64 may be slideably mountedin wall 16 and includes a slideable contact 68 engageable with a firstmetal strip 70, which is connected to lead 66. Blower 36 and motor 46may be mounted in battery compartment 50 and are separated from battery48 by a partition 74.

Referring now more in particular to FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6, accessory 10also includes a simulated food item or prebaking device 76 including apan 77 having a substantially flat bottom wall 78 from which a spargerring 88 depends for engagement with body portion 22 of orifice means 20.Sparger ring 88 includes a plurality of apertures, like the ones shownat.90, 92, for admitting fluid under pressure to pan.77 fromfluid-outlet aperture 24. Reverse flow of fluid from pan 77 may beprevented by an umbrella-type flapper valve 94 which is connected tobottom wall 78 by a stem 96 passing through an aperture 98 provided insparger ring 88.

Device 76 also includes a thin, stretchable diaphragm 100, which may besuitably decorated to simulate a particular item of food, like the piecrust shown herein for purposes of illustration, but not of limitation,and which is adapted to close the open-top portion 101 (FIG. 6) of pan77 so that pressure may build up therein and distend diaphragm insimulation of dough rising under the influence of baking temperatures.An aperture 102 is provided in diaphragm 100 to prevent excessivepressure from building up in pan 77.

Diaphgram 100 may be made from-asuitable thin (about 0.015 inches thick)rubber material and is provided with a plurality of peripherally spacedapertures 104 adapted to engage an associated one of thehexagonally-shaped pins 106 carried by a clamping ring 108 having 21depending skirt 110 encompassingthe open top 101 of pan 77. Pins 106 maybe engaged in an associated one of the apertures 112 provided in anoutwardly-extending flange 114 encompassing open top 101 as an integralpart of pan 77. Flange 114 may be coated with a suitable adhesive beforethe diaphragm and ring assembly are placed thereon to seal the lower,peripheral edge 116 of diaphragm 100 to flange 114. If desired, afruit-scented pad 118 may be placed in pan 77 so that the scent issuingfrom aperture 102 will heighten the illusion of a pie baking.

In use, switch 64 may be closed to complete a circuit to motor 46 whichrotatesimpeller 38 causing air to flow through blower outlet 34, conduit28, inlet 26, aperture 24, and sparger ring 88 into pan 77 so thatpuressure will build up in a pan 77 causing diaphragm 100 to distend insimulation of dough rising under the influence of heat. Air will also bebled from pan 77 through aperture 102 in diaphragm 100'to preventexcessive pressure from building up in pan 77 and to carry the scentfrom pad 110 to atmosphere.

While the particular pneumatic toy stove accessory herein shown anddescribed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects andproviding the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understoodthat it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment ofthe invention and that no limitations are intended to the details ofconstruction or design herein shown other than as defined in theappended claims which form a part of this disclosure. Whenever the termmeans is employed in these claims, this term is to be interpreted asdefining the corresponding structure illustrated and described in thisspecification or the equivalent of the same.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a pneumatic stove toy having an air outlet andmeans for supplying air under pressure to said outlet, a simulatedfood-cooking device comprising:

a simulated food item including an air inlet and a stretchable diaphragmwhich is decorated to siumlate uncooked food when in a relaxed conditionand cooked food when in a distended condition;

means connecting said air inlet on said simulated food item to said airoutlet on said stove toy for 4 supplying air to said simulated food itemand distend said diaphragm to simulate a change from uncooked to cookedfood; and

aperture means in fluid communication with said simulated food item forbleeding air therefrom.

2. In combination with apneumatic stove toy having .an air outlet andmeans for supplying air under pressure to said outlet, a simulatedfood-cooking device comprising:

a simulated food item including an air inlet and a stretchable diaphragmwhich is decorated to simulate uncooked food when in a relaxed conditionand cooked food when in a distended condition, said diaphragm beingprovided with an aperture for bleeding air from said simulated fooditem; and

means connecting said air inlet on said simulated food itemto said airoutlet on said stove toy for supplying air to said simulated food itemand distend said diaphragmto simulate a change from uncooked to cookedfood.

3. A combination as stated in claim 2 including a food-scented padmounted inside said simulated food item, whereby a food scent willescape through said aperture with the air bleeding from said simulatedfood item.

4. In combination with a pneumatic stove toy having an air outlet andmeans for supplying air under pressure to said outlet, a simulatedfood-cooking device comprising:

a simulated food item including a pan having an open top and a closedbottom, an air inlet provided in said pan, and a stretchable diaphragmclosing said open top, said stretchable diaphragm being decorated tosimulate the crust on an unbaked food item when in a relaxed conditionand a baked food item when in a distended condition, whereby thedistending of said diaphragm simulates the rising of v dough under theinfluence of heat; and

means connecting said air inlet on said simulated food item to said airoutlet on said stove toy for supplying air to said simulated food itemand distend said diaphragm to simulate a change from uncooked to cookedfood.

5. An accessory as stated in claim 1 including valve means mounted insaid pan for controlling the flow of air through said air inlet.

6. An accessory as stated in claim 1 wherein said diaphragm is decoratedto simulate a pie.

1. In combination with a pneumatic stove toy having an air outlet andmeans for supplying air under pressure to said outlet, a simulatedfood-cooking device comprising: a simulated food item including an airinlet and a stretchable diaphragm which is decorated to siumlateuncooked food when in a relaxed condition and cooked food when in adistended condition; means connecting said air inlet on said simulatedfood item to said air outlet on said stove toy for supplying air to saidsimulated food item and distend said diaphragm to simulate a change fromuncooked to cooked food; and aperture means in fluid communication withsaid simulated food item for bleeding air therefrom.
 2. In combinationwith a pneumatic stove toy having an air outlet and means for supplyingair under pressure to said outlet, a simulated food-cooking devicecomprising: a simulated food item including an air inlet and astretchable diaphragm which is decorated to simulate uncooked food whenin a relaxed condition and cooked food when in a distended condition,said diaphragm being provided with an aperture for bleeding air fromsaid simulated food item; and means connecting said air inlet on saidsimulated food item to said air outlet on said stove toy for supplyingair to said simulated food item and distend said diaphragm to simulate achange from uncooked to cooked food.
 3. A combination as stated in claim2 including a food-scented pad mounted inside said simulated food item,whereby a food scent will escape through said aperture with the airbleeding from said simulated food item.
 4. In combination with apneumatic stove toy having an air outlet and means for supplying airunder pressure to said outlet, a simulated food-cooking devicecomprising: a simulated food item including a pan having an open top anda closed bottom, an air inlet provided in said pan, and a stretchablediaphragm closing said open top, said stretchable diaphragm beingdecorated to simulate the crust on an unbaked food item when in arelaxed condition and a baked food item when in a distended condition,whereby the distending of said diaphragm simulates the rising of doughunder the influence of heat; and means connecting said air inlet on saidsimulated food item to said air outlet on said stove toy for supplyingair to said simulated food item and distend said diaphragm to simulate achange from uncooked to cooked food.
 5. An accessory as stated in claim1 including valve means mounted in said pan for controlling the flow ofair through said air inlet.
 6. An accessory as stated in claim 1 whereinsaid diaphragm is decorated to simulate a pie.